District police and fire telegraph



(No Model.) I

O. 0. DRAKE. DISTRICT POLICE AND FIRE TELEGRAPH.

Patented June 24, 1890.

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Cjfi amzne M M 1/ v 1 A a? closer and denoting the number or letter ofUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. DRAKE, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

DISTRICT POLICE AN D FIRE TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,992, dated June 24,1890.

Serial No. 329,250. (No model.)

To all whom it may cortccrn:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. DRAKE, of the city of Trenton, county ofMercer, and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement inDistrict Police or Fire Telegraph, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a call-box in which the particular box isindicated by pulsations sent over the line by an automatic circuitthebox in connection with circuit-connections, and a finger-key and bell,by which a message can be sent and an answer received at the call-boxwhile the automatic circuitcloser is heldin a fixed position, and whenthe same is relieved it indicates at the central station the letter ornumber of the call-box.

At the central station I employ a strip of paper and ink markers orembossers and a magnet brought into action by the incoming current and aclock, by means of which the time is marked upon the paper automaticallyand periodically, thereby indicating unerringly the time when the callcomes in and automatically testing the main line. This is of greatimportance, as it defines the time when an alarm of fire may be turnedin or when an ambulance or police report or call may reach the centralstation and the testing of the main line.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a general diagram indicating the circuitconnections, which normally is an open circuit. This is of greatimportance, as it requires less to maintain the main battery than aclosed circuit. Fig. 2 is a section of the call-box with the automaticcircuit devices uncovered.

Fig. 1 represents an open circuit; C B, the call-box; B, the main-linebattery; 0, the clock of the central station; K, the key; R, the inkingor embossing register at the central station, all of which are ofordinary con struction. It is to be understood that when a signal isturned in from any distant callbox the pulsations from the main batterypass over the line L Bthat is, from the ground G through the call-box CB, to line L B, to register B, through the helix of magnet V7, to wireH, to main battery B, to wire G, to ground G I will now describe thebalance of the circuit and connections of key K and clock 0. The key Kis for the purpose of sending or answering the signals from call-box O Bor any number of boxes. The pulsations of the key K pass over the line LR, to call-box C B, through the call-box O B, to line L B, to registerB, through the helix of the magnet W, to wire H, to main battery B, towire G, to j unction-wire N, to wire P, to key K, and by so doing itwill ring the bell in the call-box C B or in all boxes at the same time.The clock 0 is so arranged thatthe pulsations of the clock 0 will passover the wire U, to junction-wire I, to line L R, to call-box O B,through the callbox CB, to line L B, to register B, through the helix ofmagnet W, to wire H, to main battery B, to wire G, to junction-wire N,to wire P, to j unction-wire E, to wire M, to circuitcloser in clock 0,to wire U, the place of beginning, thereby closing the main line andenergizing the magnet W, causing the register R to record the time andat the same time proving the main-line circuit to be in working order.At the call-box O B, Fig. 2, the lineL B passes in by the wire L B, tothe binding-post 21, to Wire 22,to magnet F of call-bell T, through thehelix of magnet F, to wire 23, to junction-wire 24:, to wire 25, tobinding-post 26, and out by line L R, and so on through as manycall-boxes as there are in circuit. The call-box thus far named is wellknown, and I remark that the signalwheel 27 is raised to send in acertain known number or signal through the circuit-closer 36, to wire37, to junction-wire 39,to wire 25, to j unction-wire 24:, to wire 23,to magnet F, through the helix of magnet F, to wire 22, to binding-post21, to line L B, and from circuit-closer 36 to wire 38, to junction-wire 34, to wire 35, to ground G The handle 28 is to be turnedto bring into position the wheel 27 and to wind up the spring that movesthe signal-wheel, and I remark that the pin A is so arranged that whilethe handle 28 is being turned to bring into position the signal-wheel 27the pin A has no action upon the lower prong of circuit -'closer 36; butwhen the handle 28 is let go, the pin A becomes rigid, upon coming incontact the raised teeth of wheel 27 closes the circuitcloser 36. Thisis also usual; butI put upon the signal-wheel 27 the raised tooth 29, so

that when the handle 28 is turned to bring the signal-wheel intoposition ready for action the raised tooth 29 presses against the springor circuit-closer 30 and closes the circuit-closer 30. At this time thekey S in the signal-box O B can be operated to send in Morse or othercharacters to the central station and call for assistance, an ambulance,reenforcements, or any other pre-arranged or needed call. In thisinstance the current passes from the line L B to the binding-post 21, bywire 22 to magnet F of call-bell T, through the helix of magnet F towire 23, to junction-wire 24, to wire 31, to key S, and when key S isclosed to wire 32, to circuitcloser 30, to wire 33, to junction of wires34:, to wire 35, to ground G and the magnet F and the call-bell T beingin the circuit of the key S the sender is able to know whether or notthe signals are being sent and an answer can be sent by the key K at thecentral station and received on the bell T. As soon as the handle 28 isreleased the mechanism turns the signal-wheel 27 and denotes the numberof the call-box to the central station. By

this arrangement communication both ways is provided for; but a messagecan only be sent by the key S while the handle 28 is held down and thenumber of the call-box is sent in when the handle is released, thuspreventing the possibility of oversight under the most perplexingcircumstances.

I claim as my invention The combination, in a signal call-box, of asignal-Wheel and its actuating mechanism with a circuit-closer 30,raised tooth 29, acting upon the circuit-closer 30 and receiving itsmotion from the handle of the signalwheel, and a key S in the opencircuit 31 24 23, the helix of magnet F, 32, 33, 34, and 35,substantially as set forth, whereby the key S can be operated by hand tosignal the central station while the handle 28 is drawn down and thecircuit-closer closed at 30, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 1st day of November, A. D. 1889.

CHARLES C. DRAKE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES C. HAVEN, JOHN C. OWENS.

